Solution for Making One-on-One Time with Child

Making memories with my kids is something near and dear to my heart. When they grow up, I want them to be able to point back to moments in their lives that stand out as noteworthy.

Since my kids are spread out over a few years, I’m pretty resigned to having to tailor whole-family activities to something my littlest can tolerate. This can be tough when you have a ‘tween who’s itching to go to a PG-13 movie, the golf course, or the mall.

With the recent release of The Hunger Games film, I faced this problem head-on. My oldest, who had read the book, wanted desperately to see the movie – and so did I! Not only did I want to check out the content of the film, but seeing a movie in the theater is one of those carefree pleasures that seemed to evaporate once I had children.

My solution was to leave the younger-than-PG-13 crowd behind with a Boston babysitter from a Boston Babysitting Service for a little one-on-one time with my oldest, not to mention the rare opportunity to get to see a movie before it becomes available on Netflix. Carving out that block of time for just one of my kids makes for a special memory not soon forgotten, and also liberates me from another afternoon dragging everyone to the park and endlessly pushing my smallest on the swings.

All parents who have more than one child sometimes feel pulled in multiple directions by the different interests, ages, and even genders of their children. We value our special, one-on-one time with each of our kids, and it’s important for each of them to feel important on their own terms. Some activities are more appropriate for one or two of my children, but not the whole family, and I’ve found that occasionally splitting up the group brings us closer together.

- Stephanie Ackerman
Co-Owner, SeekingSitters Boston Metro West